The Eagles have been without a head coach since the end of May when Sam Allardyce resigned from his post after guiding the club to Premier League safety.

That announcement had taken the club by surprise, causing them to miss out on new Watford boss Marco Silva – who gained plenty of admirers while at Hull City last season.

De Boer only had a 35% win rate during an unsuccessful stay at Inter (Picture: Getty)

But after a month-long hunt for a successor to Allardyce the club settled on De Boer, who impressed Palace chairman Steve Parish and the club’s American major shareholders in a series of interviews.

Frank de Boer on joining Crystal Palace

‘I am thrilled to be appointed as manager of Crystal Palace Football Club. It is a great honour to take charge of such an historic club, a club that is known around the world for its hugely proud and passionate fan base. This role is a hugely exciting opportunity for me, and I cannot wait to get started in the Premier League with the players and staff here in south London.’

De Boer has been without a club since being sacked by Inter last November, having lost seven of his 14 games in charge of the Italian giants.

De Boer won the Eredivisie five times as a player and four times as a coach (Picture: Getty)

However, he had a significantly more successful five-and-a-half years in charge of Ajax, having initially returned to the club where he started his playing career as a youth coach in 2007, where he won the Eredivisie in four consecutive seasons.

Chairman Steve Parish on Frank de Boer

‘We have undertaken a thorough interview process to ensure we are in a position to appoint a manager of the calibre and experience that Frank brings with him. I am pleased to welcome him to Crystal Palace and I know he cannot wait to get started and prepare for our record breaking fifth season in the top flight.’

He was beaten to the title in his last two campaigns with the club, though the Amsterdam outfit also fell short under new Borussia Dortmund boss Peter Bosz last season.

De Boer was part of the young Ajax side that won the Champions League in 1995 (Getty)

De Boer is Palace’s fifth permanent manager in four years, though marks a significant move away from the more old school British coaches they have opted for recently.

Palace are also believed to have expressed a serious interest in signing Manchester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho, who will cost around £20m, as they look to build a squad capable of challenging for Europe.